Strong Group battles PBA teams

Strong Group-Pilipinas is set to play a couple of tune-up games against local professional clubs as part of its buildup for the 43rd William Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei from 13 to 21 July.

Team consultant Rajko Toroman said the squad will be going up against Converge and one more Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) team to stay sharp before leaving on 12 July.

Last year, the Philippines, represented by Rain or Shine, finished seventh with a 2-6 win-loss card.

“This week, we play Converge. The third game could be against Blackwater,” said Toroman, who was the former head coach of Gilas Pilipinas.

“I expect us to be competitive in the tournament, especially since we have Gilas players here,” the Serbian team official added.

Strong Group will be squaring off against United Arab Emirates, the Japan U22 team, Chinese Taipei Blue, Chinese Taipei White, Guardians from the Brisbane South Basketball League, a team from Ukraine and Future Sports USA.

The team, under the guidance of head coach Charles Tiu, will try and break the country’s five-year title drought in the tournament.

Strong Group will field a crack squad bannered by Gilas veterans Kiefer Ravena, Geo Chiu, Jordan Heading and Rhenz Abando.

“We might have a full team by next Tuesday but I am seeing a great balance of the team. They’re all coachable, they all pick up things fast and I’m really excited for this tournament,” Tiu said.

“I let coach Rajko run the team in practices to push them to the limit. We just compliment each other a lot and brainstorm with the rest of the coaching staff.”